You'll Always Be Here
by sisterthemoon
Summary: Written for 50lyricsfanfic on LJ: During her post victory party, Sarah and Ludo talk. One shot, complete!


Author's Notes: Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson; the song Meet You There belongs to A Simple Plan. Unrelated to either of the other two snippets that I've done. I've always wondered if Ludo is smarter than he looks/sounds, and no one has expressed that better than Clever Lass in 'Social Obligations,' which is here on When you're done here, drop on in over there, and don't forget to review! The Ludo that I have in mind here is in that same kind of vein.

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and where I go, you'll be there with me;  
forever you'll be right here with me  
Meet You There - A Simple Plan

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The party raged long into the night, with all of her newfound friends from the Labyrinth in attendance. Sarah was worried, at first, that the noise would disturb her father, her stepmother, and Toby, but Hoggle had simply winked at her. "We have our ways, missy. Don't you worry none." 

So she didn't.

More than once, she paused and glanced toward the window, sure that she'd catch sight of a white owl's silhouette in the trees, but each time, she was disappointed.

Perhaps surprisingly, Ludo was the first to notice his friend's preoccupation, and the big, furry beast was quiet for awhile as he contemplated the situation. It wasn't only that Sarah was looking toward the window, it was the creased brow, that stab of disappointment in her eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared. He started to watch for it, that inevitable flicker of her eyes toward the window, and this time, when she looked away, he caught her eye.

Ludo shifted, scooted over on his chosen perch, causing a squeak of mattress strings, which the goblins then started to emulate. Ignoring the king's unruly subjects, Ludo patted a big hand on the bed next to him, smiling as Sarah leaned against him once she sat.

"Sarah sad?" the orange beast's voice rumbled--already quiet, the squeaking goblins provided additional cover.

Quick to shake her head in protest, Sarah said, "Oh, no, I'm not sad at all. Toby's safe at home, and all of you are here, and..." But her indifferent facade couldn't hold up to the warmth in Ludo's brown eyes, and she sighed heavily, glancing once more toward the window. "What happened to him, Ludo?"

Ludo's first response was little more than a soft, almost non-committal rumble. With a clumsy hand, he patted Sarah's back, and turned his own gaze toward the window. At length, he finally replied, "King okay."

Her eyes half closed, Sarah only rested her head on Ludo's shoulder and sighed. "Oh, Ludo, how can you be sure?" A moment later, she huffed out an impatient noise, but didn't make a move to get up. "I don't even know why I care."

"Ludo know," came the gravelly response, and he craned his neck to peek into Sarah's eyes. "Sarah know, too." He paused, then tapped a finger to her chest. "Here."

Indignant at first at Ludo's insinuation, Sarah sat up, brow creased and arms crossed. "That's... you... I..." She spluttered for a moment, trying to come up with an appropriate response. Quiet for a moment, and catching herself in yet another check of the window, she sighed, her shoulders slumped. "But I...I don't want that." There was a pause, then she bit absently at her lower lip.

Ludo couldn't find all the words he needed to voice the complex thoughts behind his eyes, so he settled for a rumbling hum of comfort. He pondered for awhile, too, and after Sarah looked toward the window again, he offered, "King not bad man," as if he was trying to convince her of something.

Sarah said nothing, only closed her eyes and listened to the rumble of the shaggy beast's voice where her ear was pressed against him.

"King...like you," Ludo offered hesitantly, both because of the confidence he was revealing, and because he simply couldn't find the words with which the express any deeper feeling. Sarah tensed, so he raised a hand to clumsily stroke her hair, and there they sat, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ludo and Sarah were so quiet for so long that neither noticed as the party gradually wound down around them. Some vanished without a word, but a goblin or two waved a stubby-fingered hand toward the dark-haired girl and offered variations of the same theme: "Buh-bye, missy lady!" It wasn't long before the room had mostly emptied, leaving only Sarah and her three friends.

"My lady..."

Sarah opened her eyes to find Sir Didymus and Hoggle standing in front of her, their expressions a mirror of Ludo's loving concern, and she smiled wearily. "Sir Didymus. Hoggle. Ludo," she added, her voice warm as she glanced sidelong at him. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done."

"Aw, it weren't nothin', missy," Hoggle insisted, patting the girl's knee gently. "But we needs to be gettin' back now."

After giving Ludo a one-armed hug, Sarah slid off the bed to offer the same to both Sir Didymus and Hoggle. "Please come see me again, whenever you can. I'll never forget you."

When her friends had gone, Sarah approached the window, and there, at last, was the silhouette she had been expecting for so long. In spite of the early morning chill, she opened the window and knelt in front of it, bracing her elbows on the sill. Quiet at first, considering just what to say, Sarah finally offered another of her faint but genuine smiles. "I'll never forget you, either. You'll always be here." She pressed a hand to her heart, much as Ludo had done so long before, and met the owl's unblinking gaze.

The owl's wings spread for flight, but just before he flew away, she heard it. "Until we meet again, my Sarah," came a voice, his voice, and the warmth and promise she found within left her breathless.

Slowly, Sarah got to her feet and closed the window, then rested her palm flat on the glass. "Until then," she agreed, then she closed the drapes and climbed into bed--to sleep, and to dream of their next meeting.


End file.
